Me becoming an ultra runner was a few years in the making. I picked up Dean Karnazes Ultramarathon Man book in the spring of 2006 after I heard about it on a morning radio show. I actually bought it for my mom as a birthday present, but read part of it because I was intrigued by the ever popular eat-a-pizza-while-running story. I love eating and if this was a way I could eat a whole pizza and not become a fat-ass, I was all for it.
It wasn’t until November of 2009 that I actually did my first ultra-distance race – the Santa Monica 50k. I finished 12th overall in a time of 5:36. That may have been my first ultra, but I’d been racing a lot the previous few years, but all short distances - 5k to 5 miles. I liked the short distance stuff because I was always a sprinter, but after doing an ultra, I loved how there’s so much strategy in it. In something shorter than a half-marathon, you just go out and run your ass off for whatever distance the race is, but the longer the race is, the more thought and preparation goes into actually running the race. You have to have patience, listen to your body and be disciplined.
Ultras have gotten me to take on new challenges that I never thought possible, before. I’ve run 61 miles in one 12 hour stint. I’ve run 30 miles in under four and a half hours. The training runs and the actual ultra races have allowed me to experience the beauty of the outdoors I otherwise would miss. I’ve also made some good friends as a part of the running club, the SoCal Trail Headz and I can eat by the shovel full.
The human body can endure some pretty amazing feats of endurance, but you have to get off the couch to experience it.
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